4 Following Seas: Makeover!

You can probably write this post yourselves by now...sorry it's been so long...I've been sick...blah blah blah...

Yes, it was time for my quadra-annual (yep, I'm making up words now) illness. I'm sure you're as tired of hearing it as I am of being it so nuf said.

Anyhoo...in addition to being ill, I've been working on a few projects. When David asked if we wanted to accept orders to stay in Hawaii longer it was a pretty fast answer: "Yes!, but I get to re-do the playroom." I was tired of the mess and the color explosion and was ready for a change. This might not seem a big deal to you folks but to Navy folks its a rare day that we live anywhere long enough to consider RE doing a room. Kind of exciting!

I didn't take any "before" photos (too frightening) but I did dig up these from a year ago. You can see what I'm talkin bout in the background!

Fyi for the ladies - your idea of a room makeover and your husbands is vastly different. Really. He jumped right on board and quickly spent my entire budget on a new flat screen TV, a new TIVO box, a new blue ray DVD player and 200 ft. of cable and cord to go with. Hmmmm, nice additions but not really the cohesive, warm, functional space I had pictured.

When all that was done I hit Sears, Craigslist and Home Depot and did the best I could. It's still not completed but like any project, it's 80% done in the first few weeks and over the next years I will undoubtedly tweak away!

This was my Craigslist find for $60. Very functional to hold our art supplies but the color had to go! (Here is where Home Depot comes in) Another $50 of paint stripper, stain, sand paper and 4 phone calls to my father - I was off to work!

Thank goodness for the shabby chic look. I stained the top but took sandpaper and a little stain to the frame for this look.

Sadly, I thought I was done but now I really hate the whiteness of the baskets with the antiqued frame so they need some work. My hope is to rub some stain on them but not sure it will work since they are painted. (Hence the blue handles...that is just painting tape...they will stay natural) Like I said, 80%!!